The company began enrolling retailers in August, and has 270 stores enrolled in the program to date. Retailers are expected to submit reporting for organized play.
Retailers can order pre-release kits through their distributors (after enrolling in the program with the company) in eight-player increments. Each kit includes 360 Energy cards, two booster displays, and eight promo cards/participation prizes. The promo cards have alternative art or are stamped. They are legal for play.
Pre-release events will generally begin on the weekend roughly ten days in advance of the street dates (which fall on Wednesdays) of each of the four booster expansions each year. The next Pokemon TCG booster release will street in the first week of February 2016, so the pre-releases will begin in late January.
The Pokemon Company administers two other organized play programs for the Pokemon TCG. Leagues, for casual play, have been around since the earliest days of the game. The Championship Series are held at the regional, national, and world levels.